The
first SOS Children's Village was founded by Hermann Gmeiner in 1949 in Imst,
Austria. He was committed to helping children in need - children who had
lost their homes, their security and their families as a result of the Second
World War. With the support of many donors and co-workers, our
organisation has grown to help children all over the world.
We
take action for children as an independent non-governmental social development
organisation. We respect different religions and cultures, and we work in
countries and communities where our mission can contribute to the local
development. We work in the spirit of the United Nations Convention on the
Rights of the Child and we promote these rights around the world.
With
the SOS Children's Village concept, our organisation pioneered a family approach
to the long-term care of orphaned and abandoned children. This concept is based
on four principles:
|
The Mother: |
Each child has a caring parent |
|
Brothers and Sisters: |
Family ties grow naturally |
|
The House: |
Each family creates its own home |
|
The Village: |
The SOS family is a part of the community |
Today, some 56,000 children and youths receive family-based care at more than 442 SOS Children's Villages. These operate according to four basic principles that provide children with a mother/parent, siblings, a family house and a village.
Some 130,000 children and youths attend the organisation's kindergartens, schools and vocational training centres. Over 500,000 people, including families at risk of abandoning their children, benefit from SOS Social and Medical Centres. Among others, these programmes include day-care centres for children and specialised skills training for impoverished families in Latin America and Asia, as well as assistance for child and grandparent headed families affected by AIDS in Africa and family counselling programmes in Europe.
On
average an SOS Children's Village has between ten to fifteen family houses. The
village provides the
background for an extended family community. This supplies the children with
cultural roots and gives them a feeling of belonging. At the same time, village
life is an important bridge to the local community. The SOS Children's Village
should be an open place which not only promotes the integration of the SOS
Children's Village children into the local district, but also supports
interaction and encounters with neighbouring communities.
For
more information on our work you can always visit our website ( www.sos-villages-enfants.be
) and the international website ( www.sos-childrensvillages.com ).
Feel
free to contact us if you have any questions.
Best
regards
Madame Barbara François
Président
SOS CHILDREN’S VILLAGES BELGIUM